Friday is my “blog day”. The problem with that is I had no blog ideas when I left for the cafe today. Where do you start when you don’t know what to share? One thing that has always helped me focus is to have some music playing in my ears. I put in my headphones and went to Spotify to find some new music releases. Sure enough, there was one song that immediately pulled me in and reminded me of a story I should share. The video is below if you want to play it before/during your read.
Wow. This story just took another turn. I’m just kind of typing out my thoughts right now because this blog topic just became confirmation that I need to share. As I am writing this blog, with the story and topic already in mind, my Mom messaged me. She said my sister just met with a friend whose family is hurting from Lyme disease. Madie has such a big heart for women who are hurting. She started a business with a friend called Revel & Restore. The two of them have an Instagram (@revel.and.restore) and Facebook that restore empowerment by building a community of connected women who, together, are learning to revel in the beauty. This will all make sense in a minute but back to my blog now…
Avril Lavigne is an artist who blew up in the early 2000s. Her genre was punk rock and she could definitely rock out. I don’t know the reason, but her career seemed to end around 2007-2008. Here is what caught me by surprise. I went to “New Music Friday Christian” playlist and saw her topping the charts today. It was a surprise to me because it was so different than her old music. For me I love this kind of surprise. I am a huge fan of reading music blogs and finding out about new things happening in the music industry. I went and read about Avril’s story and she had been fighting Lyme disease for some time now. She survived and has a story that will shake the world. She was on her deathbed. She had a moment with her mother that she shared with everyone. She said, “One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed, ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.’ In that moment, the songwriting of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”
We all will find some level of struggle in our lives. Some will involve death, some much smaller. Regardless of the situation, we can and do feel helpless. I have the utmost respect for Avril. In her time of need, who did she call on? God. She realized that her courage and strength can only go so far. Once she FULLY submitted her situation and self to God, she found what she was looking for. I submitted in a similar way that dealt with a different circumstance. I hope to encourage you all by letting you know that this really does work. Some of you really know the old me. God ripped me apart and rebuilt me and I could not have done it myself. Only by His grace, I am changed and back chasing after Him.
In a time of need, where I was feeling helpless like Avril, I called on God. I was looking for identity in so many things except for Jesus. I was making bad decisions and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t feeling whole. I would randomly shout out to God, “Please get me back to where I used to be. Get me back to the old me.” I can remember saying this hundreds of times, randomly. It never came. I never seemed to get an answer. I started to doubt. I. I. I. That’s when I realized “I” wasn’t in control. He started small. He led me where I needed to be by moving me to Texas. He then helped me find an amazing church to then transform my heart when He knew I was ready for it. When I was younger, I had a heart for Jesus. I never had the intimate relationship that I do now (Yes, it’s a real thing. Ask me about it.) but I was after something bigger than myself. As I was looking for help from God, I was trying to escape this downward spiral of looking for identity in all the wrong things. If you fight this life without God’s help, you may find yourself surrounded by only the wrong things, all the time. The only way I could attempt to save myself was to call on God. When I was living in Texas I decided to FULLY submit myself and asked, “God, please help to keep my head above the water.” Just like Avril’s story, God can and did give me the desires of my heart. If it is something that He knows can advance the Kingdom, He will provide it, in His timing.
He saved Avril. He transformed my heart and made it soft and whole again. He gave confirmation to this story when I found out my sister was helping someone going through Avril’s story. He does all things. He provides all things. He can help. No matter what you are going through. It may look like bad decisions. It may look like losing family or a home. It may look like losing a job. It may look like losing your life. Regardless of the circumstance, He can provide. Just read about Avril or ask me if you have doubts. God will do anything we ask, in His name. I challenge you to fully submit, fully abandoned “I”, and watch your life blossom.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14
